Government 2301 Kevin Jefferies Office: D-225 Office Phone: 281-756-3736 email:kjefferies@alvincollege.edu. -- though I'd like you to use the email on blackboard for classroom issues. class blog:http://theweakerparty.blogspot.com Fall 2011 Classes GOVT 2301 - IM2
October 17 - December 13 This is the official information about the class from the ACC catalog:
American National & State Governments I (3 credits): This course surveys the origin and development of the federal system and includes an analysis of the federal constitution and various state constitutions, particularly the Texas constitution. The course focuses on federal, state and interstate relations, Texas state government, and citizenship in a modern democratic society. (3 lecture hours per week). Prerequisites: READ 0310 and ENGL 0310. Introduction: Why is This Course Offered? We live in a democratic republic. In such a system the people are sovereign, meaning that ultimate political authority rests with the people. This isn't necessarily good news. Overall levels of knowledge about governmental are quite low. The founding generation recognized this and created a governing system that placed a significant number of barriers between the people and the law. This was to ensure that the "instability, injustice, and confusion" common in democracies would not lead the new country to an early demise. Nevertheless it was understood that participation would expand and an educated population would be required to ensure that the country would survive. Public education and democratic government therefore go hand in hand. This class is not only offered, but required, in order to ensure that you become a knowledgeable participant in the American governing system. I might be prejudiced, but I happen to think that this is the most important class you will take in college, and I treat it as such.
Learning Objectives: What Do I Plan to Accomplish? The purpose of GOVT 2301 is to become familiar the basic terminology of government and politics, the Constitutions of Texas and the United States, and the political institutions that help determine what policies are enacted into law. We begin with a simple overview of the terms "government" and "politics" and all the additional terms related to them. We then proceed to the evolution of the concept of natural rights and how it is embodied in the Declaration of Independence. Then we have a series of sections devoted to, first, an overview of the constitutions of the United States and Texas, and then the various principles embedded within it (republicanism, separated powers, federalism, individual liberty). This allows us to dig into the Federalist Papers and various pertinent sections of the Constitution, especially the Bill of Rights. We then shift to a discussion of Civil Rights and the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause. Being a democracy, elections are central to our political and governing process, as are political parties, which are the principal institutions that contest in elections and structure governing institutions once elected. We conclude with an overview of public opinion, the media, and interest groups. Together these three factors reflect our collective right to participate politically.
Methods for Accomplishing Course Objectives Below (under "Calendars") you will see a series of links which take you to pages I have put together on class subject matter. You will be expected to read not only the material I have assembled for you, but additional material pulled from various sources online. You'll see a lot of links, but you aren't expected to know everything I link you to. The class is designed to introduce you to the large number of additional sources of information which exist online. Your understanding of the assigned material will be assessed in two ways. The first is based on your ability to answer short answer questions while the second will be based on answering multiple choice and other similar questions. The first is subjective and is meant to force you to think critically about the subject matter while the latter tests your factual understanding of the material.
My Teaching Style Over the course of two decades of teaching government, I've come to the conclusion that the Constitution is simply establishes a way to make decisions publicly, of non-violently reconciling the different points of view -- or interests -- that exist in society. James Madison says as much in Federalist #10: The regulation of these various and interfering interests forms the principal task of modern legislation, and involves the spirit of party and faction in the necessary and ordinary operations of the government. Conflict is part of the process. I see my job as helping you understand how the constitutional system structures that conflict. While it is common for people to consider the political and governing process as hopelessly complex and confusing, it isn't. Once you properly understand the framework of the overall, while you still might get lost in the specifics, the general process make sense. BlackBoard Much of this class (both online and lecture) will be run in Blackboard. Obviously this is no big deal for online students, but lecture students will also take their quizzes (Blackboard calls them "assessments" so that is the term I will use) and submit their written work through this site. This means that there will be no assessments in class, though my lecture students will have two in class tests, a midterm and the final (multiple choice). As you will note below, every week we will have both a 25 (or so) question multiple choice assessment and a 150 word (at minimum) short answer question. The assessments are designed to do just that, assess how well you know the material, the short answer questions are designed to force you to apply that material to current issues and debates.
Please note that we will have weekly assessments beginning the first week of class, so it is your responsibility to do this promptly. Readings: Although all of the readings in this class are available online in the pages you are linked to below, you may wish to use a traditional textbook. If so, the following two are available in the bookstore:
Lowi, Theodore, Benjamin Ginsberg and Kenneth Shepsle. American Government. 11th Edition. New York: W.W. Norton. Brown, Lyle et al. Practicing Texas Politics. 13th Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
You will notice that I also maintain a blog -- http://theweakerparty.blogspot.com -- where I post items, usually on a daily basis, that pertain to the subject matter of the class. Everyday we will spend time discussing how current events illustrate the principles we cover in class. The blog features a large number of links to the various institutions we will come to understand in this class. In order to better communicate, I want you to go to the page and subscribe to it, you will notice a subscription widget on the right of the page. By subscribing, you will receive daily information regarding not only what we will cover in the class, but also various other notices such as whether class will be cancelled.
You will also notice that I often link to Wikipedia pages, the open-sourced web based encyclopedia. Wikipedia is often criticized as being unreliable and subject to manipulation. In some cases entries are edited by people who wish to bias the information contained in the article for self interested reasons, but the site has become increasingly reliable, especially with relatively non-controversial or historical topics. I have found the range of articles available to be impressive. There is easily accessible information available there, that simply cannot be found elsewhere. I have found it to be very useful for my purposes. Perhaps its best feature is that it records all edits and allows for discussions of controversies associated with how subjects are discussed.
Grading: A = 89.5 - 100; B = 79.5 - 89.5; C = 69.5 - 79.5; D = 59.5 - 69.5; F 59.5 - 0
Your grade will be based on how well you perform in the following:
1 - Weekly Quizzes (25%): You will be expected to take assessments each week for each of the sections covered that week. I want you to take them all, but will drop the lowest two - again provided you took them. The purpose is to ensure that you have familiarity with the subject matter we cover in class. These assessments will be given through BlackBoard, so once again, please get an account immediately. The assessments are intended to reinforce the principle points made in each section and assess - objectively - your retention of those points. You can use the power points available on each wiki page while answering the questions, so yes they are open note. Check below for the days and times each assessment will be opened. You are required to take each of these assignments, but I will drop two low grades at the end of the semester.
2 - Weekly Written Assignments (25%): Each week I will also post a question designed to encourage you to think critically about that week's material. They will generally ask you about a current event that illustrates some aspect of that week;s readings. These will also be presented to you in BlackBoard and you are to send your responses through BlackBoard as well. I'd prefer you to use the submissions box, but note that you will be timed out if you take too long to compose it there. I'd recommend writing answers out in a word processor then pasting them into the box. The assignments will be posted at the beginning of each week and you will have a full week to write at least 150 words (you should consider this to be a bare minimum) and be analytical in nature, based on the specific facts related to the subject. If you plagiarize your answer you will receive a 0, and this grade will not be replaced. I will accept late work, but all work is to be turned in by noon December 11th. You are required to turn all of these in, and I will not drop any of these grades.
3 - A Written Report (25%): Over the course of the semester I want you to write a 1000 word report on what promises to be a fun event, the competition among Republican candidates to be the party's nominee for next year's general election for the presidency. Though some liberals are upset with Obama's apparent willingness to compromise with Republicans on various issues and murmur about running a candidate against him in the Democratic primaries, none have emerged, but who knows what is likely to happen? Still, the interesting story will be between the Republican candidates as they start to ramp up their rhetoric against each other. Things will get nasty, and entertaining, soon. I want you to cover some aspect of the race over the course of the semester and prepare a 1000 word report - think of it as a magazine article - by December 11th, noon. Send it to me through BlackBoard. You will find a place to do so under "assignments." If you plagiarize, you will receive a 0 for this assignment.
4 - A Cumulative Final (25%): The Final will be open from noon December 8 - midnight December 11. It will be composed of 100 multiple choice questions drawn from the the subject matter covered the entire semester..
Regarding Student Behavior: You are adults and will be expected to act accordingly. For online students this means that I expect you to do your own work. You will not ask anyone else to write papers for you, or you will not simply copy text from various sources and tell me you did it. Turnitin, and other techniques will be used to determine if you have plagiarized. Among the Founders, proper behavior was considered to be a necessary mark of a civilized person and a requirement for political participation. Read through Washington's Rules for Civility and Decent Behavior. It is a great example. Consider adopting a few.
Please Note: If you have any disabilities or other special needs that will affect your ability to learn in this class, please inform me. Appropriate steps will be taken to make reasonable accommodations and assistance with your needs.
Scholastic Dishonesty: If you cheat in any way in this class and are caught, you will fail the course. Do not download items from the internet and pass them off as your own. If you do so, you will receive a zero for that paper or assignment and that grade will be final. If you do it a second time, you risk failing the course, or receiving a sanction for your actions.
Incompletes: I do allow students to take incompletes provided unusual circumstances have arisen that prevent you from finishing the class in a timely manner. Unless there is an overwhelmingly good reason to take the incomplete -- such as a prolonged hospital stay -- the grading scale is will be adjusted as follows: B = 85.5 - 100; C = 69.5 - 85.5; D = 59.5 - 69.5; F 59.5 - 0. This is done to be fair to the students who were able to complete the class on time, but could have performed better if they had also been given extra time. Calendar and Links
Classes Begin: October 17:
Note: In order to ensure that you are comfortable with the class, and have an understanding of class material, I want you to take an open-ended assessment on the content of the syllabus, and send me a quick hello from the assignment section. You will note both on blackboard.
Week One: October 17 - 23 -Introduction
- Natural Rights and the Declaration of Independence.
Assessments for each (note that you have to take two assessments) will be open from noon October 20 - midnight October 23
Written Assignment Due: Midnight October 23
Week Eight: December 5 - December 11
- Review and Catch up
- The Final will be open from noon December 8 - midnight December 11
Last Day to turn in written work December 11.
Kevin Jefferies
Office: D-225
Office Phone: 281-756-3736
email: kjefferies@alvincollege.edu. -- though I'd like you to use the email on blackboard for classroom issues.
class blog: http://theweakerparty.blogspot.com
Fall 2011 Classes
GOVT 2301 - IM2
October 17 - December 13
This is the official information about the class from the ACC catalog:
American National & State Governments I (3 credits): This course surveys the origin and development of the federal system and includes an analysis of the federal constitution and various state constitutions, particularly the Texas constitution. The course focuses on federal, state and interstate relations, Texas state government, and citizenship in a modern democratic society. (3 lecture hours per week). Prerequisites: READ 0310 and ENGL 0310.
Introduction: Why is This Course Offered? We live in a democratic republic. In such a system the people are sovereign, meaning that ultimate political authority rests with the people. This isn't necessarily good news. Overall levels of knowledge about governmental are quite low. The founding generation recognized this and created a governing system that placed a significant number of barriers between the people and the law. This was to ensure that the "instability, injustice, and confusion" common in democracies would not lead the new country to an early demise. Nevertheless it was understood that participation would expand and an educated population would be required to ensure that the country would survive. Public education and democratic government therefore go hand in hand. This class is not only offered, but required, in order to ensure that you become a knowledgeable participant in the American governing system. I might be prejudiced, but I happen to think that this is the most important class you will take in college, and I treat it as such.
Learning Objectives: What Do I Plan to Accomplish? The purpose of GOVT 2301 is to become familiar the basic terminology of government and politics, the Constitutions of Texas and the United States, and the political institutions that help determine what policies are enacted into law. We begin with a simple overview of the terms "government" and "politics" and all the additional terms related to them. We then proceed to the evolution of the concept of natural rights and how it is embodied in the Declaration of Independence. Then we have a series of sections devoted to, first, an overview of the constitutions of the United States and Texas, and then the various principles embedded within it (republicanism, separated powers, federalism, individual liberty). This allows us to dig into the Federalist Papers and various pertinent sections of the Constitution, especially the Bill of Rights. We then shift to a discussion of Civil Rights and the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause. Being a democracy, elections are central to our political and governing process, as are political parties, which are the principal institutions that contest in elections and structure governing institutions once elected. We conclude with an overview of public opinion, the media, and interest groups. Together these three factors reflect our collective right to participate politically.
Methods for Accomplishing Course Objectives Below (under "Calendars") you will see a series of links which take you to pages I have put together on class subject matter. You will be expected to read not only the material I have assembled for you, but additional material pulled from various sources online. You'll see a lot of links, but you aren't expected to know everything I link you to. The class is designed to introduce you to the large number of additional sources of information which exist online. Your understanding of the assigned material will be assessed in two ways. The first is based on your ability to answer short answer questions while the second will be based on answering multiple choice and other similar questions. The first is subjective and is meant to force you to think critically about the subject matter while the latter tests your factual understanding of the material.
My Teaching Style Over the course of two decades of teaching government, I've come to the conclusion that the Constitution is simply establishes a way to make decisions publicly, of non-violently reconciling the different points of view -- or interests -- that exist in society. James Madison says as much in Federalist #10: The regulation of these various and interfering interests forms the principal task of modern legislation, and involves the spirit of party and faction in the necessary and ordinary operations of the government. Conflict is part of the process. I see my job as helping you understand how the constitutional system structures that conflict. While it is common for people to consider the political and governing process as hopelessly complex and confusing, it isn't. Once you properly understand the framework of the overall, while you still might get lost in the specifics, the general process make sense.
BlackBoard Much of this class (both online and lecture) will be run in Blackboard. Obviously this is no big deal for online students, but lecture students will also take their quizzes (Blackboard calls them "assessments" so that is the term I will use) and submit their written work through this site. This means that there will be no assessments in class, though my lecture students will have two in class tests, a midterm and the final (multiple choice). As you will note below, every week we will have both a 25 (or so) question multiple choice assessment and a 150 word (at minimum) short answer question. The assessments are designed to do just that, assess how well you know the material, the short answer questions are designed to force you to apply that material to current issues and debates.
If you do not already have a blackboard account, get one. Click here to get started: http://bb6.alvincollege.edu/webct/entryPageIns.dowebct
Please note that we will have weekly assessments beginning the first week of class, so it is your responsibility to do this promptly.
Readings: Although all of the readings in this class are available online in the pages you are linked to below, you may wish to use a traditional textbook. If so, the following two are available in the bookstore:
Lowi, Theodore, Benjamin Ginsberg and Kenneth Shepsle. American Government. 11th Edition. New York: W.W. Norton.
Brown, Lyle et al. Practicing Texas Politics. 13th Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
You will notice that I also maintain a blog -- http://theweakerparty.blogspot.com -- where I post items, usually on a daily basis, that pertain to the subject matter of the class. Everyday we will spend time discussing how current events illustrate the principles we cover in class. The blog features a large number of links to the various institutions we will come to understand in this class. In order to better communicate, I want you to go to the page and subscribe to it, you will notice a subscription widget on the right of the page. By subscribing, you will receive daily information regarding not only what we will cover in the class, but also various other notices such as whether class will be cancelled.
You will also notice that I often link to Wikipedia pages, the open-sourced web based encyclopedia. Wikipedia is often criticized as being unreliable and subject to manipulation. In some cases entries are edited by people who wish to bias the information contained in the article for self interested reasons, but the site has become increasingly reliable, especially with relatively non-controversial or historical topics. I have found the range of articles available to be impressive. There is easily accessible information available there, that simply cannot be found elsewhere. I have found it to be very useful for my purposes. Perhaps its best feature is that it records all edits and allows for discussions of controversies associated with how subjects are discussed.
Here are some links that touch on controversies associated with Wikipedia:
- Dean's World.
- EDUCAUSE.
- Reliability of Wikipedia, from Wikipedia itself
Grading: A = 89.5 - 100; B = 79.5 - 89.5; C = 69.5 - 79.5; D = 59.5 - 69.5; F 59.5 - 0
Your grade will be based on how well you perform in the following:
1 - Weekly Quizzes (25%): You will be expected to take assessments each week for each of the sections covered that week. I want you to take them all, but will drop the lowest two - again provided you took them. The purpose is to ensure that you have familiarity with the subject matter we cover in class. These assessments will be given through BlackBoard, so once again, please get an account immediately. The assessments are intended to reinforce the principle points made in each section and assess - objectively - your retention of those points. You can use the power points available on each wiki page while answering the questions, so yes they are open note. Check below for the days and times each assessment will be opened. You are required to take each of these assignments, but I will drop two low grades at the end of the semester.
2 - Weekly Written Assignments (25%): Each week I will also post a question designed to encourage you to think critically about that week's material. They will generally ask you about a current event that illustrates some aspect of that week;s readings. These will also be presented to you in BlackBoard and you are to send your responses through BlackBoard as well. I'd prefer you to use the submissions box, but note that you will be timed out if you take too long to compose it there. I'd recommend writing answers out in a word processor then pasting them into the box. The assignments will be posted at the beginning of each week and you will have a full week to write at least 150 words (you should consider this to be a bare minimum) and be analytical in nature, based on the specific facts related to the subject. If you plagiarize your answer you will receive a 0, and this grade will not be replaced. I will accept late work, but all work is to be turned in by noon December 11th. You are required to turn all of these in, and I will not drop any of these grades.
3 - A Written Report (25%): Over the course of the semester I want you to write a 1000 word report on what promises to be a fun event, the competition among Republican candidates to be the party's nominee for next year's general election for the presidency. Though some liberals are upset with Obama's apparent willingness to compromise with Republicans on various issues and murmur about running a candidate against him in the Democratic primaries, none have emerged, but who knows what is likely to happen? Still, the interesting story will be between the Republican candidates as they start to ramp up their rhetoric against each other. Things will get nasty, and entertaining, soon. I want you to cover some aspect of the race over the course of the semester and prepare a 1000 word report - think of it as a magazine article - by December 11th, noon. Send it to me through BlackBoard. You will find a place to do so under "assignments." If you plagiarize, you will receive a 0 for this assignment.
4 - A Cumulative Final (25%): The Final will be open from noon December 8 - midnight December 11. It will be composed of 100 multiple choice questions drawn from the the subject matter covered the entire semester..
Regarding Student Behavior: You are adults and will be expected to act accordingly. For online students this means that I expect you to do your own work. You will not ask anyone else to write papers for you, or you will not simply copy text from various sources and tell me you did it. Turnitin, and other techniques will be used to determine if you have plagiarized. Among the Founders, proper behavior was considered to be a necessary mark of a civilized person and a requirement for political participation. Read through Washington's Rules for Civility and Decent Behavior. It is a great example. Consider adopting a few.
Please Note: If you have any disabilities or other special needs that will affect your ability to learn in this class, please inform me. Appropriate steps will be taken to make reasonable accommodations and assistance with your needs.
Scholastic Dishonesty: If you cheat in any way in this class and are caught, you will fail the course. Do not download items from the internet and pass them off as your own. If you do so, you will receive a zero for that paper or assignment and that grade will be final. If you do it a second time, you risk failing the course, or receiving a sanction for your actions.
Incompletes: I do allow students to take incompletes provided unusual circumstances have arisen that prevent you from finishing the class in a timely manner. Unless there is an overwhelmingly good reason to take the incomplete -- such as a prolonged hospital stay -- the grading scale is will be adjusted as follows: B = 85.5 - 100; C = 69.5 - 85.5; D = 59.5 - 69.5; F 59.5 - 0. This is done to be fair to the students who were able to complete the class on time, but could have performed better if they had also been given extra time.
Calendar and Links
Classes Begin: October 17:
Note: In order to ensure that you are comfortable with the class, and have an understanding of class material, I want you to take an open-ended assessment on the content of the syllabus, and send me a quick hello from the assignment section. You will note both on blackboard.
Week One: October 17 - 23
- Introduction
- Natural Rights and the Declaration of Independence.
Assessments for each (note that you have to take two assessments) will be open from noon October 20 - midnight October 23
Written Assignment Due: Midnight October 23
Week Two: October 24 - 30
- The United States Constitution.
- The Texas Constitution
Assessment - only one - will be open from noon October 27 - midnight October 30
Written Assignment Due: Midnight October 30
.
Week Three: October 31 - November 6
- Federalist 10 and the Republic
- Federalist 51 and the Separation of Powers.
Assessment Open from noon November 3 - midnight November 6
Written Assignment Due: Midnight November 6
Week Four: November 7 - 13
- Federalist 45 and Federalism.
- Federalist 84, Civil Liberties and the Bill of Rights.
Assessment Open from noon November 10 - midnight November 13
Written Assignment Due: midnight November 13
Week Five: November 14 - 20
- Civil Rights and The Equal Protection Clause.
- Elections.
Assessment Open from noon November 17 - midnight November 20
Written Assignment Due: midnight November 20
Week Six: November 21 - 27
- Political Parties.
- The Freedom of Speech and Public Opinion.
Assessment Open from noon November 24 - midnight November 27
Written Assignment Due: midnight November 27
Week Seven: November 28 - December 4
- The Freedom of the Press and the Media.
- The Freedom to Peacefully Assemble and to Petition Government for a Redress of Grievances and Interests Groups.
Assessment Open from noon December 1 - midnight December 4
Written Assignment Due: midnight December 4
Week Eight: December 5 - December 11
- Review and Catch up
- The Final will be open from noon December 8 - midnight December 11
Last Day to turn in written work December 11.